New Restricted Substances List now available

SATRA’s new footwear Restricted Substances List can be obtained free of charge by members.

by Martin Heels

To provide our members with an easy-to-read summary of information about restricted substances, we created the SATRA footwear Restricted Substances List. The eighth edition is now available and acts as an informative guide to restricted and harmful substances that are applicable to the footwear and leathergoods industries. New additions to the latest issue include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (‘PAHs’, which are also examined in the article 'Forthcoming European PAH legislation') and the chromium VI restrictions that will come into force in May 2015.

Relevant substances

Legislation on restricted substances can be particularly complex and difficult to relate to specific consumer products. SATRA’s restricted substances document gives a brief summary of the most relevant substances that are pertinent to the footwear industry and highlights the material types where these substances might be present. For example, phthalates are plasticisers that can be added to plastics in order to increase their softness and flexibility. Uncoated leathers, textiles and metallic trims would not be relevant materials to test for the presence of phthalates.

Issue 8 of the footwear Restricted Substances List has been developed by SATRA’s chemical testing and research teams in order to prioritise the critical substances that should form part of brands’ and retailers’ restricted substances policy. This policy can be a key tool to disseminate information along the supply chain and educate suppliers about the importance of meeting these requirements.

Chemical testing and consultancy at SATRA

The ISO 17025 accredited chemical testing laboratory at SATRA routinely tests components, footwear and consumer products for the presence of restricted substances. This testing can be conducted on materials before articles are manufactured, or on samples taken from the production line. SATRA’s chemical team can advise members on the most appropriate tests for a specific style to make the best use of a testing budget. Our members in Asia can benefit from the sample receipt service at the SATRA China office in Dongguan.

Within REACH

SATRA publishes a quarterly newsletter called Within REACH, which is available free for SATRA members. It contains information on the latest changes to the REACH legislation that affect the footwear industry. We also organise REACH and restricted substances seminars which can be tailored to customers’ particular requirements. These include workshop exercises where product ranges are risk assessed so testing budgets can be targeted effectively.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 16 of the October 2014 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

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